When creating a graphic novel with some of the top illustrative talent around – Bryan Talbot, Hannah Berry, Mark Stafford et al – it’s easy to get caught up in the sheer superbness of it all. Seeing their work come in, with all of its deftness and surety, can make it look so effortless. But of course it’s not. It’s hard work like any creative endeavour.

And perhaps it’s hardest of all for Rozi Hathaway.

When devising HOAX, it was really important to me to bring on board not just established illustrative cream, but also one complete unknown. That unknown is Rozi.

I connected with Rozi via Twitter, and saw something in her artwork that I thought might just work for a particular section in the graphic novel. We had a chat, and she rose to the challenge admirably. I use the word challenge because I think for Rozi this project has been just that.

The reason I wanted to spotlight this in a post, however, is not to portray Rozi as a mouse amongst giants. Instead it’s to say how impressed I am with how Rozi has dealt with the challenge, coped with the considerable amount of feedback on her various roughs, taken all of that feedback on board, stayed positive, committed and communicative (all whilst holding down two jobs), and produced some truly excellent work as a result.